The Kieron Bowie rise to Hibs and Scotland stardom as SPFL icon who made way for his debut pays tribute
The Hibees ace won his first Scotland call-up after a strong end to the campaign - but there is plenty more to come reckons hitman
Liam Buchanan remembers Kieron Bowie as a gangly 16-year-old with questionable fashion sense when he first rocked up at Raith Rovers.
But six years on he is certain the big striker is ready to fill his favourite shirts - for Hibs and Scotland.
Buchanan made way for Bowie's big entrance into the professional arena at Stark's Park as a sub late on in a routine 4-1 win over Montrose.
Now as he winds down his own career at Berwick Rangers he's loving watching the rapid rise of the kid that was fast-tracked into the Raith top team by the savvy John McGlynn that day in September 2019.
Bowie is living the dream at Buchanan's boyhood heroes Hibs after winning a move away from Raith to Premier League Fulham for two years.
His form since returning from injury saw him handed a call-up from Steve Clarke ahead of Scotland's June friendlies against Iceland and Liechtenstein.
And Buchanan hopes the 22-year-old can grab his big chance to shine ahead of the World Cup qualifiers.
He said: 'Kieron has done brilliantly since breaking through as a kid at Raith.
'He was really raw but obviously John saw something in him to give him a chance. From the off though you always knew that he had a good attitude.
'He wanted to work hard, he was a good character.
'Would I think he'd reach the heights that he has? Maybe not. But you could see that he had that work ethic at a young age.
'Kieron had a way that he would sort of glide and he was tall.
'He trained quite a bit with the first team that season. Sometimes he would even go and play centre half in training.
'It never fazed him. He would take it in his stride and had real confidence.
'He used to arrive for training with some really shocking pairs of jeans. He'd get stick for that. But he could take a joke.
'You sometimes forget how young they are. And how daunting it can be to come into a changing room full of experienced pros.
'He handled it really well. It was a good grounding for him. And he's kicked on massively.
'You could always tell he had an eye for goal. He could finish. And since then he's added size to his game, he's a big powerhouse now.
'John could see from the beginning, in all fairness to him, that he had the attributes. That if Kieran wanted to, he could actually go and be a really good player.
'I've gone along to see him for Hibs a few times this season and it's great to see how far he's come.
'I knew him from when he was a 16-year-old debutant to now going and playing for the team that I support. It's great to see him do so well.'
Bowie is the latest fresh-faced hopeful to be called up as Steve Clarke looks to boost his firepower options ahead of the World Cup qualifiers.
With Lyndon Dykes injured it's Tommy Conway, George Hirst, James Wilson and Bowie who will join the tried and tested Che Adams in the forward line.
Buchanan said: 'I think Kieron fits the bill of a number nine for a lot of managers.
'He looks like a real asset for Hibs. Playing and training for the last year with Dwight Gayle is certain to have improved him.
'Next season now is a massive season for him. Hopefully he can go on and win lots of caps.'
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